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A review by kathywadolowski
Parents Weekend: A Novel by Alex Finlay
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is my first read by Alex Finlay, and I'm surprised I've taken so long to pick up one of his books because this one was a fun ride. It took me a bit to get a handle on all the characters/families, but once I did I was hooked. The plot was lightning fast, and the short chapters and quick developments kept me furiously flipping the [kindle] pages. Seriously, I finished about 85% of the book in a single sitting. You will not be bored.
The book focuses more on the titular parents versus their missing kids, and I honestly actually didn't mind this approach. Teen thrillers definitely have their moments, but I appreciated the parents' more mature struggles being the lens through which the search was conducted. With this approach, the book moved out of popcorn thriller territory and dipped a toe into the more human drama space. Even if that drama wasn't always related to the central mystery, it still captured and held my interest throughout.
That said, I do wish the book had bit more character development; I think the sheer number of characters made this a challenge, and since we spent most of our time with the parents (and Agent Keller) we *barely* got to know the kids. This lack of depth made the ending/reveals weaker, because we weren't actually invested enough in the students' backstories and their relationships to be hung up on how their fates shook out. It's not like the book has a bloated page count, so I think much more attention could've been given to the students' stories to lend the ending some more punch. Without that investment, the conclusion felt somewhat rushed and unsatisfying.
So that lack of depth at the end knocked off a couple stars for me, but "Parents' Weekend" is still a solid thriller that kept me engaged the whole time. I'm sure I'll reach for another Alex Finlay after this!
[Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an advance reader copy of this book!]
The book focuses more on the titular parents versus their missing kids, and I honestly actually didn't mind this approach. Teen thrillers definitely have their moments, but I appreciated the parents' more mature struggles being the lens through which the search was conducted. With this approach, the book moved out of popcorn thriller territory and dipped a toe into the more human drama space. Even if that drama wasn't always related to the central mystery, it still captured and held my interest throughout.
That said, I do wish the book had bit more character development; I think the sheer number of characters made this a challenge, and since we spent most of our time with the parents (and Agent Keller) we *barely* got to know the kids. This lack of depth made the ending/reveals weaker, because we weren't actually invested enough in the students' backstories and their relationships to be hung up on how their fates shook out. It's not like the book has a bloated page count, so I think much more attention could've been given to the students' stories to lend the ending some more punch. Without that investment, the conclusion felt somewhat rushed and unsatisfying.
So that lack of depth at the end knocked off a couple stars for me, but "Parents' Weekend" is still a solid thriller that kept me engaged the whole time. I'm sure I'll reach for another Alex Finlay after this!
[Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an advance reader copy of this book!]